Happy Monday Everyone! We have internet troubles at our house, but I wanted to share (via iphone hotspot) 7 ways to feel confident when you are having a dull or rough day!
We have ALL been there. Whether we are stuck in a rut, having a series of unfortunate events, or spending too much time on social media scrolling through image after image of planned, curated, and built up snapshots timed at the unrealistically perfect moment. This is not real life.
I feel that once I started realizing this in my life, I started positively changing my outlook and became more happy-go-lucky. Obviously there were many more steps involved, but here are 5 things I do to make my day a little better rather than wallowing in my little pity party. Because lets be honest: your pity party is unproductive and just makes everything worse.
Finally, before I leave you with this week’s 5, know that life is an ebb and flow and that EVERYONE. Me, you, Taylor Swift, Gigi, and the whole squad experience days like this. So without further ado, here are:
7 Ways to Feel More Confident on the Dull Days
- Strike a power pose. I decided to get the cheesy one out of the way first. Just look at your face in the mirror. Repeat this: There is no other soul like me and no one else possesses my unique spirit. I underestimate myself and am powerful and smart. “Fake it until you make it” has been one of my recent go-to mantras. Research has shown that if you strike a “power pose” such as placing your hands on your hips or doing the strong man pose can actually trick a persons’ psyche to feel more confident. If you are sad, force a smile and suddenly you won’t feel so dull!
- Compliment yourself. You are amazing, you are a badass, you are worthy. Determine one thing you love about yourself or come up with a list. Write down your list or just recite to yourself one thing you love about you. I like to find gratitude for my perseverance and willpower when I am feeling down. You can also choose and compliment something about your physicality or personality.
- Switch your brain mode with a fun playlist. Create a playlist when you are feeling full of yourself and on a roll with your personal goals and listen to it whenever you are on cloud 9. We often connect memories and emotion to music, so if you can go back to that playlist you were jamming out to on a great day, it can help recall the confident and happy emotions you felt when you created the playlist. It may just help when you want to crawl under your desk or bed and cry.
- Do one fool-proof thing from which you can channel positivity. In my last Monday Matters post, I spoke about how dressing up and getting things crossed off your to-do list can help you feel ahead and positive. If you are having a seriously crappy day, choose one fool-proof thing you can do to feel like you accomplished something that day. For me, this is often painting my nails (because I never took the time to do that in the past), moving the laundry over, attending a yoga class, or curling my hair. I don’t know what it is about curled hair but my ego absorbs the happy bounce! After you complete the quick item, make a mental decision to LET GO of the fender bender, fussy boss, messy hair, spilled coffee, and exhaustion. Find power in answering the question: What happened today? with your answer: I killed another day of life with my bouncy curly hair and looked great the 10 minutes before passing out in The Bachelor. (Find power in the fact that you chose to ignore all the negativity and kept such a positive look on your day! You are the one in control of the answer- after all.)
- Let that -ish go. Accept the balance and ebb-and-flow of life and choose to go with the flow. This is a harder idea, but lifes’ wonderful moments would not be so grand without the inversely proportional depressing days. When you feel stuck in a rut just know that it can only go uphill. Give yourself a break, for goodness sake. Sometimes we need to mentally process the negativity we experience in order to get past it. If you are completely overwhelmed, cry. Do not fixate on the negativity or events that weigh you down. Allow yourself to process the emotions and fall asleep thinking about how great you will feel when it all passes. Think about something positive that is coming up in your life. Get excited and choose to move on.
- Take a nap. I get overwhelmed and dull when I do not get much sleep. Plan to fit in a power nap! Sometimes naps have this magic way of resetting your brain and letting your brain process all that has happened to you. A nap can feel like waking up to a new day if you have time to fit it in.
- Call Mom/Dad- or a reliable friend. They are your biggest fan. Give them a call and let them boost your ego for a minute. Just chat. Let them know what you are feeling and that you just want to talk. Try to avoid venting or loading them with your negativity because I have found that discussing negativity results exponentially increases negativity.
You are beautiful and kind and worthy. Motivation exponentially encourages motivation. Your words are powerful, heart pure, and will- strong. Life is a journey and rollercoaster. And when you have those days- well, it is what it is.
With love and joy,
Audrey
